Distribution centre in Brześć Kujawski is now fully operational
Even 8m items of clothing and accessories per week – that is how much the recently launched LPP Distribution Centre in Brześć Kujawski can handle. The new facility, with a storage capacity of up to 40m items, has been equipped with automation solutions allowing for a simultaneous servicing up to 1000 stores. Over 700 people have been already employed at the centre and provided with a modern and friendly workplace and comfortable commuting conditions. The facility has been designed with sustainable construction standards in mind and has obtained BREEAM certification.
LPP’s strategic investment in Brześć Kujawski is a facility which became operational in February this year in a three-shift system with a staff of 700.
– We started the investment in January last year and after less than 1.5 years we can talk about approaching the full operational efficiency of the facility. Thanks to the implemented solutions in the area of warehouse automation, the centre ensures a high standard of service for our shops and next to the Distribution Centre in Pruszcz Gdański it constitutes a key pillar of the LPP logistics network – explains Sebastian Sołtys, Logistics Director at LPP.
The centre is equipped with two sorters with a unique drop structure, enabling the service of up to 1000 stores simultaneously.
– In our new distribution centre, we opted for an innovative solution in terms of sorter technology. The engineering experience of the Dutch manufacturer of this type of equipment, supported by several weeks of tests, allowed us to develop a sorter design tailored to the needs of LPP. The newly patented solution in the area of pneumatics allows us today to maintain very high efficiency of the sorting process in a continuous mode, while increasing the efficiency of storage space use. It is worth noting that the innovative pneumatic patent is also very quiet, which increases the comfort of working with this type of equipment – informs Michał Moteka, Process and Automation Development Manager at LPP.
The automation of operations also significantly improves the order picking process for the stores. Owing to this, during the first two months of its operation the warehouse in Brześć Kujawski distributed over 300 thousand cartons with LPP brand collections.
The new warehouse also features an automated labelling process and carton forming and closing machines, which increase production efficiency and guarantee intuitive and safe handling.
The centre’s 1.8-kilometre conveyor system is equipped with solutions for packaging recovery and reuse. Service support is provided by a fleet of over 70 forklift trucks, for which a modern battery room with a battery queuing system has been prepared.
The entire facility operates with the support of the WMS (Warehouse Management System) managing the processes of the flow of goods, work of people and logistics equipment.
– Thanks to these solutions, the 75,000 m2 warehouse can ensure the distribution of up to 8m items of clothing and accessories per week. In addition, a racking system with a storage capacity of 40m pieces of clothing, or up to 67th pallets of goods, was installed in the facility. Such a number of pallets, if arranged linearly, would reach a total length of approximately 60 km, which corresponds to the distance between Włocławek and Toruń – notes Mariusz Adamusiński, Head of the Distribution Centre in Brześć Kujawski.
An important point in optimising the operation of LPP’s logistic facilities is reducing their environmental impact. The warehouse in Brześć Kujawski is currently undergoing the BREEAM sustainable construction certification process. The facility has been equipped with, among others, a recuperation system in the office rooms, which allows for up to 95% heat recovery. Moreover, thanks to the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof with a total power of 1,5 MW and an area of over 7th m2, the building is powered by renewable energy. LPP attaches great importance to the comfort of its employees; therefore, already at the stage of designing the distribution centre, one of the priorities was to ensure the most favourable working conditions. Optimization of lighting, heating, air conditioning and ventilation installations thanks to an advanced BMS system, as well as wide corridors and glazing of the warehouse are only some of the available facilities in place for everyone’s convenience. The company has also designated its own bus depot with 5 platforms and 17 parking spaces, and created its own transport network, making it easier for people from the surrounding areas to reach the workplace.
– The Distribution Centre in Brześć Kujawski is a modern facility, designed and built in line with our strategic assumptions. We are glad that our activities supported by experience have enabled us to develop optimal logistic solutions while fulfilling the objectives of sustainable development – concludes Sebastian Sołtys.
Striving to achieve full operational capacity in the facility, LPP continues employee recruitment processes. Due to the infrastructural solutions applied at the distribution centre, more specialists are needed, especially at the maintenance department, including electricians, electromechanics and maintenance technicians. Find out more at https://www.lpp.com/Brzesc.
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LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. For 30 years, it has been successfully operating in Poland and abroad, offering its collections in such prestigious capitals as London, Helsinki or Tel Aviv. LPP SA manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay, whose offer is available today in stationary and online stores in nearly 40 markets worldwide. The company has a chain of nearly 1700 stores with the total area of over 1.4 million m2. Based on a global distribution network located in 3 countries, it distributes clothing and accessories to 3 continents every year. LPP also plays an important role as it employs over 24 thousand people in its offices and sales structures in Poland, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the WIG20 index and belongs to the prestigious MSCI Poland index.